Life After a Stroke

Homecare in Elizabeth NJ: Life After a Stroke

Homecare in Elizabeth NJ: Life After a Stroke

Surviving a stroke is an incredible thing. If your loved one suffered a stroke, you may have thought that you would lose them forever. Strokes can permanently damage the brain, or even worse – be fatal to the person who suffers them. Just the fact that your loved one is alive is a huge blessing, and you are surely thankful for that every day.
Following the stroke, your loved one might be having some mobility problems or some changes in the way their body or brain works, and you may have hired home care aide to help take care of them. No matter who cares for them, though, or if they even need full-time care, there are some important things to remember about life after a stroke.

The most important of these things is, unfortunately, that once one has one stroke, they are at a much higher risk of having another one.

Fortunately, there are some preventative measures you ,your loved one, and/or their home care aide can take to make this risk go down. Here are some things to consider:

  • Diet – A healthy, nutritious diet is an important part of maintaining anyone’s health, but it is especially important for stroke survivors. Eating fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish can really help keep the body healthy, which can improve one’s odds of preventing or surviving another stroke.
  • Exercise – While some permanent damage might have been done from the first stroke, and your loved one’s movement might be more limited now than it once was, it is still important for them to engage in regular physical activity. Staying fit and rejecting a sedentary lifestyle can help make their muscles stronger, their mind more alert, and keep their blood flowing as it should.
  • Keep an eye on blood pressure or other conditions – Some medical conditions like atrial fibrillation or high blood pressure can put one at a higher risk for stroke in and of themselves. If your loved one has a condition like this, you or their home care aide should make sure that the condition is monitored, and that your loved one takes any necessary medications on time every day.
  • Listen to your loved one’s doctor – If your loved one had a stroke, chances are, their doctor gave them some instructions on how to maintain their health and recover before they left the hospital. It is important to heed this advice, no matter whether it seems silly or inconvenient to you or your loved one or not. Not following the doctor’s orders could end in another stroke, which is something that no one wants.

If your loved one survived a stroke, they are surely counting every day as a blessing. If they want to continue to live a blessed life, though, they need to make sure to follow the steps above. Having one stroke is bad, but having a second one because they didn’t take care of themselves after the first would be even worse. You can help prevent this from happening by being there for them, and for making sure they are doing everything possible to stay healthy.

Source:
http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/HealthyLivingAfterStroke/Healthy-Living-After-Stroke_UCM_308568_SubHomePage.jsp

If you or an aging loved one are considering homecare in Elizabeth, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care of New Brunswick today. Call (732) 607-8870.